The Puppet Theatre in Olsztyn. This project won the competition

·25 August 2026

The new headquarters of the Olsztyn Puppet Theatre is set to become a place one can pop into whilst out for a stroll – during a daily walk through one of the city’s greenest areas. The winning design by the plus3‑architekci studio proposes a building open to the park, resembling a large garden pavilion with a light, openwork canopy.

The new building will be constructed on Tadeusza Mazowieckiego Street – at a junction where leisure, sport and culture meet. Nearby are the Urania Hall, the Planetarium, the OSiR facilities and Central Park, forming a natural walking route along which the people of Olsztyn make their way to work, school or the city centre. The architects have deliberately integrated the theatre into this daily flow of people.

The theatre as part of the city’s route

“The greatest asset of this space is the green areas that link Olsztyn’s key locations. We wanted the theatre to become a natural part of the park promenade. We positioned the building so that it does not interrupt the walk, but becomes part of it, inviting people inside,” says Katarzyna Głażewska, co-founder of the plus3‑architekci practice.

This approach was recognised by the competition jury, which highlighted the way in which the design coexists harmoniously with the distinctive form of the Urania Hall, without attempting to outshine or dominate it.

A curtain of light and greenery

From a distance, the building resembles a large garden pavilion. The lightweight structure, which is completely open in places, is immersed in greenery and has no formal front façade. Each façade responds to its surroundings, meaning the building looks different from every angle. “The building looks different from every angle and responds to the diversity of the surrounding space,” emphasises Głażewska.

The white, openwork screen surrounding the main hall is a contemporary interpretation of a theatre curtain. It filters light, creates shifting shadows on the façade, and will eventually serve as a support for the grapevine entwining the pavilion. Behind the steel structure, the timber present on the façades and within the interiors is gradually revealed, creating a calm, natural character for the building.

Parts of the façades feature vertical cladding in the form of large louvres, which protect the interiors from overheating without obstructing the view of the park. “The idea is that the curtain works with the light and changes along with the greenery, allowing the building to live in harmony with its surroundings. Wood, light and vegetation complement one another, creating architecture that requires no dramatic interventions to capture the viewer’s attention,” adds the architect.

The interiors set the mood

The foyer has been designed as a space that remains open all day – a venue for meetings, workshops and events, not merely an entrance area to the theatre auditoriums. This is where life is meant to buzz, regardless of the programme. Further in, the atmosphere changes markedly: bright, open interiors give way to the darker spaces of the auditoriums, where concentration and theatrical mystery prevail.

In the main auditorium, deep colours – black and bottle green – come to the fore. The chamber theatre is more versatile: during workshops, it opens out onto the park, making use of natural light filtered through an external screen, whilst during performances it becomes a classic theatre space.

Architecture that sparks curiosity

The new venue is being built primarily with children and young people in mind, yet the architects have avoided literalism. There are no fairy-tale decorations or intense colours here. The building – much like a good performance – does not reveal everything at once, encouraging the discovery of further elements.

The soft lines of a ribbon running between the mezzanine floors break up the simple geometry of the interiors, creating a space that stimulates the imagination. “We wanted to spark curiosity and leave room for interpretation. Children like to explore and ask questions. They are just as attentive observers of space as adults,” says Głażewska.

The most important spaces for visitors are located on the ground floor, making the building intuitive and accessible to everyone – including older people and visitors with disabilities.

Sustainable construction

The competition jury highlighted the modular structural grid and the use of cross-laminated timber (CLT). Reinforced concrete was used only where necessary, whilst the remainder of the structure was designed using timber elements. This has reduced the project’s carbon footprint and left scope for future adaptations.

“Sustainable design is about the conscious use of materials where they best utilise their properties. Responsibility begins at the design stage and continues throughout the building’s entire life cycle.” The architect also points out that “the most economical building is not the one that is cheapest to build, but the one that, thanks to the quality of its architecture and its adaptability, retains its value for decades to come”.

design: plus3-archtekci